Winnipeg – October 31, 2017 – UFCW Canada Local 832 activists recently took to the streets as part of a Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) rally calling on the Manitoba government to put an end to Bill 31 – a proposed new law that would remove the province’s cap on tuition fees.

If passed, Bill 31 would allow for tuition hikes of five percent plus the rate of inflation annually. Tuition fees in Manitoba are currently capped and are among the lowest in the country as a result.

At the rally, students and activists marched to the Manitoba Legislative Building to protest Premier Brian Pallister’s tuition plan, which would serve as a significant barrier to students trying to start or continue their education.

“The Pallister government is currently trying to push Bill 31, which removes all restrictions on course-related fees and raises all tuition fees far past the rate of inflation,” says UFCW Canada Local 832 President Jeff Traeger. “If passed, it will create an environment where access to education will be restricted to those who can afford to pay the price. UFCW Local 832 is strongly opposed to this legislation and we stand in solidarity with the Canadian Federation of Students in their fight to see this regressive bill defeated,” Brother Traeger adds.

UFCW Canada believes that every aspiring post-secondary student in Canada deserves the Freedom to Learn, and that everyone should have access to a good education. That’s why our union has launched the #TossTuition initiative calling on the federal and provincial governments to toss tuition fees in order to make the Freedom to Learn a national reality for all post-secondary students. You can learn more about the campaign at ufcw.ca/tosstuition.

Founded in 1938, UFCW Canada Local 832 is Manitoba’s largest union, representing over 18,000 members in a wide variety of industries, including the retail food, health care, food processing, security, industrial, textile, and transportation sectors. To learn more about UFCW Local 832, click here.